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Human Impacts on the Environment

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- Human population has increased dramatically over the past 2 centuries.
- An increasing population can strain our natural resources.
- Humans can make decisions or use technology to reduce our impact on Earth.
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Discussion Questions
- Before VideoWhat types of human activities are you familiar with that harm the environment?ANSWER
Answers may vary but might include increased energy consumption, burning of fossil fuels, cutting down of forests, overfishing in our oceans, and increased water consumption.
Recycling, reusing products, using alternative energy sources such as solar, driving electric cars, policies to protect the environment, etc.
Cutting down of tropical rainforests, climate change, increased human population, the destruction of habitats to build new homes, illegal hunting or poaching, etc.
Human activities are causing increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere that traps heat and increases temperatures. The burning of fossil fuels for transportation and factories is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Glaciers are shrinking, sea levels are rising, warmer winters, changes in precipitation patterns, more droughts and heat waves leading to increased fires, stronger hurricanes, etc.
Air pollution such as smog in cities, contaminated drinking water, plastics in our oceans, the accumulation of trash in cities and landfills, etc.
- After VideoWhy was there a large increase in human population after the Industrial Revolution?ANSWER
The Industrial Revolution brought about many advancements in science, technology, and medicine along with improved nutrition that caused people to live longer.
There is an increased demand on our natural resources including trees for making products such as paper and furniture, water for drinking, and minerals to make products such as phones and fertilizers.
The creation of new laws and wildlife preserves have helped to protect animals like the bison come back from being close to extinction due to overhunting. New regulations as well as innovative ways of reseeding and replanting corals has helped Belize’s coral reefs come back from oil spills. Conservational biologists established a wildlife preserve to save the giant panda from becoming extinct in China.
Using alternative energies such as solar energy, using biodiesel that is made from plants rather than oil, carpooling to school or work, turning off cars while waiting to pick someone up, and using public transportation.
Bioplastics are biodegradable and break down in the environment much faster, reducing the amount of plastics in our oceans and landfills over time.
The increased human population has increased our need for freshwater, and we use over four times as much freshwater as we did only fifty years ago. Since only 1% of the water on our planet is fresh water, this is a limited natural resource. Some things we can do to conserve freshwater are taking shorter showers, turning off the water when you are washing your hands or brushing your teeth. Scientists and engineers have developed ways to turn saltwater into freshwater, but it is expensive and requires a lot of energy. More innovations in science and engineering may be able to help solve this problem in the future.
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Vocabulary
- Human Population DEFINE
The number of humans living in a particular area.
- Natural Resource DEFINE
Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and are necessary or useful to humans.
- Renewable Resource DEFINE
A natural resource that is replenished by natural processes at a rate comparable to its rate of consumption.
- Nonrenewable Resource DEFINE
A resource that will not return, or renew, or will only return after a long period of time.
- Species DEFINE
A group of animals, plants, or other living things that all share common characteristics.
- Extinction DEFINE
The end of existence of a species of plant or animal.
- Wildlife Preserve DEFINE
Protected natural areas that are important in maintaining biodiversity or conducting scientific study.
- Conservation DEFINE
Prevention of wasteful use or protection of natural resources.
- Technology DEFINE
The application of scientific knowledge to create tools and machines that may be used to solve real-world problems.
- Human Population DEFINE
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Reading Material
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DIY Activity Guide
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